Feelings Most Dear
by aishi22
Summary: A collection of short stories about experiences the group must go through and how those adventures bring out the feelings each hold most dear to their hearts. NOTE: Includes same-sex pairings- don't like it, don't read .
1. Chapter 1

a/n: Hi everyone! So, I've been a fan of Tsubasa for years, and I've just been dying to write some fanfiction, so...here I go.

As a note, all of these are going to be sort of like one-shots, but put together under one theme, which is the title of this fic. All of the mini-stories I put up are based off of a "prompt" which is a word randomly selected out of the dictionary (I got the idea from Hikari Kaitou- you should read her KuroFai fanfiction, it's amazing!) Hopefully I'll get one done every other week (because I'm also planning on writing some OHSHC fics as well). So without further ado...

----------------------------------------------

The Problem with Mokona

[prompt: Indigestive]

They all fell out the sky and landed with the familiar THUMP, piled up on top of each other- the usual procedure when they entered a new world. Fai smiled to himself, realizing he had once again managed to land on the crimson-eyed ninja, who was already struggling wildly to get Fai off of him. Syaoran had landed on his stomach, and the princess had landed right on top of his back, looking slightly dazed. On her head was Mokona.

"We've made it to the next world!" Announced Mokona, who hopped up and down hyper-actively on Sakura's head.

"Why is it that every time we land, the stupid mage ends up falling on me?!" Kurogane yelled, shoving Fai off of him with some effort. Fai laughed.

"Doesn't Daddy want to make sure Mommy doesn't hurt himself from falling?" Fai replied, grinning at the ninja.

"Don't fool yourself mage; if I had things my way, I'd have the white manjuu drop you from a thousand feet up!" Despite him saying this with a tone of conviction, there was a faint blush under the ninja's red eyes. Fai tried to hold back a smirk.

"Now now Daddy, don't be giving the children bad ideas!" Kurogane quickly pulled out his sword, and his eyes gleaming madly, yelled,

"I'll show you giving them bad ideas!" Fai, laughing, began to sprint in order to keep out of range of Kurogane's strong and furious swipes of the sword. After watching this daily ritual between the two, Syaoran, who had picked himself up off the ground, shrugged, and smiling, turned to Mokona, who was being held by Sakura.

"Mokona, is there a feather in this world?" The rabbit-like creature hopped onto Sakura's head, both ears pointing straight up like antennas.

"Mokona will check!" After a minute of looking like the concentration was killing him, Mokona's ears fell down, and the small creature frowned.

"Sorry Syaoran, Mokona senses that there is no feather in this world." The spark in Syaoran's eyes dimmed a little, but he kept his smile on.

"It's okay Mokona." Fai and Kurogane had finally returned, Fai looking joyful and Kurogane seeming frustrated beyond words.

"Shall we head to a new world then?" The others nodded in agreement.

Mokona jumped into the air…and fell. Mokona, looking a little confused, opened his mouth…and closed it quickly, looking a little ill.

"Moko-chan, are you okay?" Sakura asked, concerned. Mokona sighed.

"Mokona cannot take us to another world, because something is wrong with Mokona." There was a moment of silence, then…

"WHAT?!" They all exclaimed in unison.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kurogane frowned, crossing his arms in contemplation. Around him, the others were all in similar positions, gazing at Mokona in confusion. Normally, Kurogane could have cared less if the white manjuu was feeling ill, but Mokona was currently their only way off of the world, and it was already sunset.

"Mokona…has this ever happened before?" Syaoran asked slowly. Mokona frowned.

"No…not that Mokona can remember." A thought floated across Kurogane's mind.

"Why don't we ask that time-space bitch?" Mokona's ears lifted up.

"Kurogane wants to ask Yuuko?" The ninja nodded but displayed his discontent about having to call on her. _I swear, if she tries to charge us for this…!_

Mokona raised his ears up, opened his eyes, and…nothing happened. Mokona frowned sadly. "Mokona cannot get the channel to open." They all sighed in defeat.

"Well, what do we do now?" Fai asked to no one in particular. Syaoran stood up, dusting himself off.

"Well, it's getting late…it will probably become dark in another hour or so. We should probably search for a nearby town…for all we know, there might be someone who knows how to figure out what's wrong with Mokona." They all nodded in joint agreement.

Mokona jumped onto Syaoran's shoulder and pointed to his right. "Mokona thinks we should head this way!" Shrugging, the others began to walk through the grassy fields, following Mokona's directions as the sun slowly lowered in the sky.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

They reached a town soon after night had fallen. Mokona was now riding in Fai's arms, and Sakura was being carried by Syaoran. The princess had fallen asleep from exhaustion a few minutes earlier. The town resembled that of Jade Country, but in the spring instead of winter. There were many gardens in front of the small homes, which included flowers that glowed brilliantly in the night. Kurogane inwardly sighed in frustration as he noticed his 'adopted son' perk up with interest. Shaking his head, Kurogane bent over and took the princess into his arms. Syaoran looked up at him in confusion.

"Kurogane-san?"

"You're interested in the flowers, right? We'll find the hotel, so you can look at them, for whatever it's worth. Don't be long- we've got to find out how to fix the manjuu tomorrow." Syaoran smiled as he watched his parent-like figures walk into the distance.

"Thank you Kurogane-san." Syaoran's gaze fell to the flowers in front of him, and he felt his heart ache as a memory came to mind…

_Eight-year old Syaoran tried to keep up with the princess of Clow country as she ran up the cement steps leading up to a small shrine that had been built there far before he had found himself in Clow. Sakura turned around, smiling, and yelled,_

"_Hurry up Syaoran! You've got to see this!" Syaoran smiled and sped up his pace to catch up with her. Once they reached the top of the shrine, she took his hand in hers and pulled him over to the front, where he had planted some flowers a few months back. _

"_Look, look Syaoran!" Syaoran's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the large glowing flower in front of him. It was a light-blue with a yellow core that seemed to shed light. Sakura turned to smile at him._

"_The seed you brought me from your last trip…I planted it, and it became a night flower! Isn't it beautiful?" Syaoran nodded, smiling back at Sakura._

"_Yes, it is." She smiled up at him, her eyes glowing._

"_No one else knows about it, so it will be our secret- okay Syaoran?" _

"_Yes…Sakura."_

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
_

Kurogane yawned and flopped down on his bed. Despite the fact that he was tired enough to fall asleep quite easily, he knew he wouldn't actually be able to until the kid returned safely. The door opened, and Fai slid in quietly, closing the door slowly behind him. The ninja figured that he must have tucked the princess into bed and said goodnight. The magician landed in his bed, across from Kurogane's, and turned to gaze at the ninja.

"That was a really nice thing you did back there Kuropii- you really do care about Syaoran like he's your son, don't you?" Kurogane frowned and turned his head away.

"Why think that? If I hadn't let the kid inspect them now he certainly would tomorrow night, and he'd be so busy thinking about the damn flowers that he'd be no help when searching for the cure for the pork bun. I was just getting his distraction out of the way, that's all."

Fai chuckled lightly. "That all may be true, Kurorin, but never-the-less I still believe you did it out of consideration of Syaoran's feelings." Sighing in frustration, Kurogane threw a pillow at Fai, hitting him in the center of his face.

"Damn mage…talking nonsense. Get some sleep." Fai yawned, and after stretching his arms, lay down, pulling his thick blanket over him.

"Alright Kuropon; goodnight." Kurogane shut off the light.

"…night."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kurogane was woken up by a strange noise that sounded almost like a small child sobbing. Quietly walking across the room in order not to awaken the mage, he opened the door and silently followed the strange sound, wondering what it could be. He found the source of the noise in the windowsill down the hall; Mokona.

Though Mokona (like Fai) used lots of crocodile tears when he didn't get something he wanted, Kurogane was positive that the manjuu was honestly crying. The ninja sighed mentally. _I'm really not good at this kind of thing…_ Sighing, he took a seat next to Mokona who didn't seem surprised to see him there. _Maybe it's one of his 108 secret techniques…_

"Hey…squirt…um, if you, uh, need someone to talk to…I'm here." Mokona turned from the window to gaze up at the ninja, tear stains streaked down his white fur. Kurogane felt a twitch of guilt in his heart.

"Mokona…Mokona is always connected to Mokona bro…" Kurogane blinked.

"That black manjuu the dimensional witch kept?" Mokona nodded sullenly.

"Mokona and Mokona bro are always connected…Mokona can meet with Mokona bro in his dreams and talk…so Mokona is never lonely." The white rabbit creature sniffled. "But now Mokona can't connect to Mokona bro…can't reach him…Mokona feels alone…" There was a minute of silence, then

"You know, at times I feel lonely…remembering that I can't see my parents ever again, but…even if I feel lonely, I'm not. You know why?" Mokona tilted his head. "It's because I have people with me whom I care about, like you, the kids, and even that damn mage." Mokona giggled a little. "I do feel alone when I remember my family and Tomoyo hime, but at the same time, I'm reminded about those that travel with me, and I realize I'm never alone." A small smile appeared on Mokona's face. "So, manjuu, don't think you're alone…because you have us."

Tears of happiness trickled down Mokona's face.

"Thank you Kuro-daddy…Mokona feels better now." Kurogane nodded and stood up.

"Get some sleep now; we're going to be busy tomorrow." Mokona nodded and turned back to the window. Kurogane headed back to his room, and after checking to make sure the mage was asleep and hadn't followed him, Kurogane lay back down and drifted into sleep.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fai yawned and stretched his arms out above his head. Beside him, Kurogane stood still, looking slightly bored, and Sakura hummed quietly, holding onto a somewhat cheerful Mokona.

"So…what should we be searching for?" Fai asked Syaoran, who was standing at the head of the group with a map in hand. Syaoran turned around to face them.

"Well, in a few of the countries I visited with my father, there were people called 'animal doctors' who could figure out what was wrong with various kinds of animals. We should see if there's someone like that in this town." The others nodded and followed Syaoran, wondering what would happen if they _didn't_ find an animal doctor.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Syaoran sighed as he gazed down at his plate of food. Their search had been unsuccessful, and now they were in a café, about to eat lunch. Everyone seemed melancholy about Mokona's situation- even Kurogane. None of them seemed to have an appetite for their food…except Mokona.

"Hey, why isn't anyone eating?" Mokona asked, looking confused. Syaoran did his best to smile.

"You should be first to eat Mokona." Mokona smiled enthusiastically.

"Mokona feels very honored, so Mokona will eat!"

Mokona cheerfully took a bite of the food in front of him. Right after swallowing, Mokona began to choke, coughing madly.

"Moko-chan!" Sakura exclaimed, reaching over to help him. Before she could reach him however, Mokona, from coughing so much , spat up not only his food, but something light and shiny covered in clear slime…one of Sakura's feathers.

There was a minute of silence in which everyone just sat still, staring. Then,

"What the hell just happened?!" Exclaimed Kurogane. Mokona began to jump up and down on the table, trying to grab their attention.

"Mokona understands now! Mokona must have accidentally swallowed one of Sakura's feathers! Sakura's feather was the reason Mokona couldn't swallow you guys or contact Yuuko! Mokona couldn't digest Sakura's feather!"

"…that is the weirdest thing I've heard come out of your mouth yet manjuu…"Started Kurogane.

"…but strangely, it makes sense." Finished Fai.

Sakura still looked confused. "So Mokona was just suffering from indigestion?" Syaoran laughed.

"I guess so."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

They were all standing in the field they had landed in. Syaoran quickly wiped off the slime on the feather, and he gently returned it to Sakura, who, closing her eyes, seemed to fall asleep. Syaoran scooped her up and turned to Kurogane and Fai.

"Ready to go to the next world, Syaoran-kun?" Fai asked, smiling. Syaoran nodded. Mokona cheerfully grew his wings, and opening his mouth widely, sucked everyone inside. And thus they headed off to a new world, unaware of what would be waiting for them.

--------------------------------------------

a/n: Hope you all liked it- I wasn't really planning on doing a chapter on Mokona, but the idea was too good to resist. I laughed a lot when I imagined it out. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it and please review! Next prompt is "sick" and will focus on KuroFai :)


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: Hey everyone! Sorry for keeping you waiting for so long- school has been eating me alive. Here is the next installment of Feelings Most Dear, which focuses more on Fai (and a little of Kurogane). I don't know what the third prompt is yet- I'm going to wait until I finish the second chapter of The Angel in the Snow. Enjoy!

--------------------------------------------------

Sickening Illusions

[prompt: sick]

It started out as another average morning in Oto Country for all of them. But, as Fai washed the dishes from cooking breakfast, he had a strange feeling that something _different_ was going to occur later on in the day. _I only hope that it's a good change…_ Shrugging, he turned to Sakura-chan, who was laying the food out on the table.

"Sakura-chan, why don't you wake up the doggy pair for breakfast?" Sakura smiled and nodded.

"Okay, Fai-san." Fai smiled softly as he watched the princess run off to wake up their other companions. Even though they hadn't managed to restore many of Sakura's memories, Fai could tell that Sakura was a wonderful girl and would do her best at any task she was given. He only hoped that they find more of the princess' feathers soon because while she was functioning okay, Fai could tell she wasn't completely back to health.

He was distracted from his thoughts as Syaoran and Kurogane took their seats. Syaoran already looked cheerful…_probably from seeing the princess first thing in the morning,_ Fai thought. Fai pushed the two plates of pancakes forward and put on his best grin, aimed at Kurogane.

"Good morning Kurorin! Enjoy the pancakes- I made them just for you!"

"Thank you Mommy! You know just what Daddy wants!" spoke Mokona from Kurogane's head, trying his best to imitate the ninja's voice. Growling madly, the ninja grabbed the white manjuu who had been standing on his head and threw him across the room.

"Damn manjuu- doesn't even sound like me at all!" Turning forward again, Kurogane realized that while he had been facing the other way, Fai had poured a gracious amount of the sticky substance called "maple syrup" all over his breakfast. The ninja glared like mad at the grinning mage.

"Damn mage! You know I hate sweet things!" Seeing Kurogane's mouth open, Fai took the advantage given to him and shoved a fork full of pancakes into the ninja's mouth. Still glaring, Kurogane chewed and swallowed the mouthful, then continued,

"You know the kid has sword training today-" Fai shoved more food into the warrior's mouth, then dashed away as the ninja jumped up and began chasing him around the café. Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona, who were used to this, continued on with what they were doing- Mokona eating Kurogane's breakfast and Syaoran talking to the princess.

"Syaoran-kun, you have sword training again?" Sakura asked, with a trace of sadness in her voice. Syaoran nodded.

"The oni in this country seem to be growing higher up in levels, so I need to learn how to use a weapon well enough that I can protect you and find the feather located in this country."

Sakura turned her gaze up to meet Syaoran's. "Please be careful Syaoran-kun…if you become injured, come back at once so Fai-san can treat your wounds." Syaoran nodded, and after giving the princess his most reassuring smile, stood up and said,

"Kurogane-san; I'm ready to go." Kurogane dropped the broom he had been holding at Fai's neck and nodded.

"Alright kid; let's go." Fai quickly rushed back beside Sakura, and waving, yelled,

"Goodbye Syaoran-kun; goodbye Kuropii! Do your best!" Even in the distance both Sakura and Fai could hear the ninja muttering loudly under his breath, _"stupid mage with his stupid nicknames…"_

Syaoran let out a grunt as he fell on his back after being hit over the head by Kurogane's undrawn blade. Kurogane growled in frustration.

"You're thinking too much again kid. Don't worry about the blindfold- feel your surroundings with your extra sense. Hell, you could have blocked that by just listening!"

Syaoran rubbed the ache coming from the back of his head. "I'm sorry Kurogane-san…I was distracted by a thought."

"Had you been in the battlefield, that blow would have cut you in half. I suggest you do less thinking and more moving. Now-" Kurogane reached out his hand and pulled Syaoran back up. "Let's try that again."

"Here you go Sakura-chan." said Fai cheerfully as he handed her a tray of food to take to some of the customers sitting at the tables. Smiling, Sakura hurried over to the waiting customers. Mokona, who was sitting on the bar counter next to Fai smiled.

"Sakura seems very happy today!" Fai nodded, smiling.

"I'm sure Sakura-chan is happier trying to help out the search for her feather…it must lessen her worry about Syaoran-kun." Mokona nodded its small round head.

Deciding that he should probably get to work too, Fai turned and took a step towards the sink filled with dishes, and was suddenly overcome by a strange sort of dizziness. Luckily, he grabbed the counter before he could fall over.

Mokona had noticed. "Fai, are you alright?" Fai quickly let go of the counter and pasted on a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine Mokona. No need to worry."

Mokona didn't look like he believed it, but hopped off to talk to Sakura who was speaking with some daily customers. Shrugging to himself, Fai started washing the dishes. _What could have caused me to become so dizzy? I almost never get sick…_ His thoughts were interrupted by Sakura's bell-like voice.

"Fai-san; we need another chocolate cake!" Fai plastered on his grin.

"I'll get to it right away, Sakura-chan!"

Fai yawned as he walked up the stairs. They had had to close the Cat's Eye early because they had run out of supplies, and they had just returned from the marketplace after restocking their materials. During that trek, Fai had suffered from the dizziness several times, and now his throat was sore. _Definitely sick._ That wasn't what was worrying him though. Although Fai tended to be more paranoid than normal, he had never really shown it. But now, he found himself constantly glancing over his shoulders, feeling something following him. _It's…it's just the cold, right?_

However, as he walked into his room, rubbing his arms from the cold air, he felt it again…and he recognized the feeling of those eyes.

…_those frigid, empty eyes…_

The shadow standing in front of him in his room began to morph into a familiar shape. Fai gasped and tried to move back, but his body seemed to be frozen to the ground. His blue eyes filled with fright and tears. One word managed to escape his mouth.

"Ashura-ou!" But, as Fai blinked, his eyes unable to hold the amount of water forming in them, the shadow disappeared from sight. Fai fell to his knees and his blond bangs covered his eyes as the tears fell.

_I know that if Kurogane were here, he'd say that men aren't supposed to cry…but…_With shaky hands, Fai covered his face _…but I don't think I can hold it all in…_

Sakura swung around, Mokona holding onto her shoulder, as the doors to the café opened.

"Welcome back Kurogane-san…Syaoran-kun?" Sakura gazed in confusion as the doggy pair walked in, Syaoran's arm slung around Kurogane's neck and Kurogane's around Syaoran's waist. Syaoran seemed to be limping, but smiling none-the-less. Realizing Syaoran was injured, Sakura ran over.

"Syaoran-kun, what's wrong? What happened?" Syaoran smiled but winced as Kurogane placed him in the chair.

"Hime…" Kurogane interrupted.

"He wasn't paying attention to where he was going and tripped over a tree root and sprained his ankle pretty badly. Could you get him a bag of ice?" Sakura hurried over to the refrigerator.

"Yes, of course!" As she filled up the bag, Kurogane looked around. After a minute he asked,

"Where's the mage?"

He was going to take a nap-"

"I'm right here, Kurotan." Fai announced, cutting Sakura's sentence in half. Kurogane frowned, but Fai wasn't sure if it was because of the nickname or the fake smile plastered to his face. After a second of regarding Fai coolly, the ninja plopped down into the chair next to Syaoran.

"The kid got hurt- sprained his ankle. With ice, it should be healed by tomorrow evening." Syaoran looked up.

"But Kurogane-san-" Kurogane growled.

"Don't be an idiot kid- you'd be killed. We just won't go oni-hunting tonight."

"I'll go in his place." All four of them (Mokona included) turned to gaze at Fai, whose eyes were shadowed by his bangs. Kurogane grunted.

"This isn't going to be some tea-party mage…"

"I know. I'll go." Fai responded quickly, looking the ninja in the eyes. Kurogane stared for a second, as if trying to read the mage's eyes, then nodded slowly.

"Alright- how're you going to fight? You know those darts won't work." Fai turned to Mokona.

"Mokona, do you still have my pole from Koryo World?" Mokona nodded, and jumping in the air, spat out the desired weapon. Fai caught it with apparent ease and turned to the ninja.

"Okay- let's go."

Fai wasn't paying much attention to his surroundings, mainly because he was starting to feel dizzy again, and thus ran into Kurogane's back when he stopped.

"…oi, mage." Fai rubbed his head lightly.

"What is it, Kuropii?" Kurogane was silent for a moment, then,

"If there's anything…you want to talk about…I'll listen." Fai felt his chest ache but ignored it.

"That's very kind of you Kurorin, but what gives you the idea that I have something to talk about?"

"…when you came down those stairs- even though you smiled, your eyes seemed haunted…and red from crying." Fai's eyes widened. _Why is it that he's the one that can see through me…?_ "Also, since we started walking, you haven't said one word." The smile slipped from Fai's face as he felt the watching eyes.

"Kurogane!" Fai jumped in front of the ninja and took the blow as the shadow attacked. Grunting, Fai went flying down the road, skidding on his back painfully.

Fai shivered as he sat up. The dizziness had become worse, but even through his shaky vision, Fai was able to make out the familiar outline that the oni had taken the form of. _…Ashura-ou…_ Fai slowly began to come out of his thoughts as he heard his name being called.

"Fai! Fai, get up!" Shaking his head, Fai tried to fight off the dizziness and stood up slowly. Flicking his pole out, he turned his gaze to Kurogane, then to the oni. Seeing the form of the man he had put to sleep seemed to make his condition worse, and he began to cough. After what seemed like a minute of non-stop coughing, blood flew from his lips and splattered onto the ground by his feet. Fai's eyes flew open in horror.

Taking a deep breath, Fai charged and swung the pole at the oni. The oni parried, but as it stepped back, Kurogane swung at it. The shadow managed to duck and avoid the blow. It charged at Fai and lashed out at him. Fai blocked several of the attacks in a row, but as he looked up at the pitch-black face, he became nauseated and didn't block the next blow that sent him flying and crashing into a wall. The dizziness came back.

Fai laughed as his voice cracked. _It's not even the real him, but I still can't do it…I'm so pathetic!_ Although his eyesight was blurred, he could hear the ringing of metal as Kurogane blocked the oni's blows one by one. And then he heard something he didn't expect- the ninja crying out in pain.

Fai's eyes jolted open. _Kurogane!_ Gritting his teeth and trying to focus his eyes, Fai slowly got up, ignoring the pain radiating off his body. His eyes had become less blurred, enough to let him see Kurogane kneeling, hand over a hole in his chest that was bleeding badly. The shadow was approaching the ninja, probably to finish him off.

Fai held up his pole, and after pushing the bangs out of his eyes, began to take shaky steps towards the shadow that had yet to notice him. Upon reaching it, Fai gripped his pole tightly.

"This is the last time you'll hurt others!" Closing his eyes, Fai swung his pole down as hard as he could, biting back tears. There was a WHOOSH, and suddenly the oni was gone. Fai yelled out as a strange dark-light seemed to pour out of his chest, and then fell to the ground as darkness closed in around him.

_Fai floated in the darkness, curled up in a ball, all alone. Tears and blood stained his face and his body trembled from fear and sadness. The world was empty…dark. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself tighter._

"_Will anyone find me? Will anyone ever care about me?" As the thought tired to take hold of his mind, a sudden warmth gripped his hand. It wasn't just warmth though…it had a feeling…the feeling of love. Something he had been missing for so long…_

"_Fai…Fai, please wake up." The warmth called. Fai closed his eyes and sighed contentedly. _

"_I'll wake up, even if it's just for you…"_

Fai opened his eyes slowly so that they wouldn't be burned from the light in the room. _What…happened?_ As he tried to sit up, he realized something had a grip on his hand. Looking down, a true smile appeared on Fai's face as he gazed at Kurogane's hand, which was holding onto his own tightly.

"Thank you, Kurochan."

"If you're so thankful, then why don't you call me by my real name for once, mage?" Fai jumped as Kurogane's eyes flickered open. Fai laughed.

"Well, in case you forgot, I did- right before I took your blow." Kurogane frowned. "But…" Fai looked him over. "Are you okay?" The ninja nodded.

"The princess bandaged me up well enough…it was you who was the one in trouble." Fai blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"The oni we fought a week ago-"

"A week ago? I've been asleep for a week?!" The ninja nodded.

"Anyway, the oni took the shape of someone you knew, right?" Fai hesitantly nodded. "I went to city hall and asked about how that could be- they said the chances were rare, but an upper level oni can enter someone's heart if they're vulnerable enough, and then take an outside form of what the person fears the most."

Looking back, Fai realized it made complete sense, and a wave of relief washed over him. _It wasn't really him…_

"Who was it?" Fai gazed down at their entwined hands. _Kurogane was almost killed…he has every right to know…but still… _There was silence, then,

"It's okay- you don't have to tell me." Fai looked up, surprised. "It's like I told you- when you're ready, I'll be here to listen." Fai felt his eyes fill again, but for a different reason.

"Thank you, Kurotan." Kurogane got up and walked to the door, then turned to look back.

"Coming? The kids will be happy you're awake. They were very worried." Fai smiled, and nodding, walked over to the door and down the stairs to the others.

_It's not like before,_ he thought as he saw Syaoran and Sakura's smiling faces, _this time, there is love._

_-------------------_

_a/n: So, there it is. Hope it was okay- I typed it in a rush, so sorry if there are some really stupid errors. If you have time, please leave a review, and thanks to those who did for the last chapter! Once I find the third prompt, I'll post it on my user page.  
_


	3. Chapter 3

_****a/n: Happy Holidays everyone! I apologize for any typos, bad grammar, or just crappyness in this...it was typed /very/ fast and it was written a year ago, so...it is what it is. Enjoy~_

**Feelings**_** Most Dear**_

_**What's Really Important**_

_[Christmas Special]_

By the time they reached the house that was being rented to them, the rain was coming down pretty hard. The four of them, drenched and tired, stumbled into the entrance room, and after a few seconds one of them managed to locate and turn on the lights.

Both Kurogane and Syaoran sunk into the chairs nearest to them, the taller of the two seeming to be more irritated than the other, but everyone in the room knew very well that it was the other way around—it had ended up being another featherless search, and the one who was hurting the most from it was Syaoran. The tension in the air was thick.

Finally Kurogane spoke up as he ripped his water-logged trench-coat off.

"Ridiculous…" Fai turned is gaze to the warrior from where he was leaning against the kitchen counter.

"Eh? What do you mean, Kuropii?" Kurogane glared, and his rising blood pressure was almost visible.

"I mean, Mage, that this has been the _third_ false alarm we've had on this world—the stupid porkbun doesn't know _what_ he's doing!"

Syaoran looked up, "But Kurogane-san, Mokona-"

"Don't start Kid! Because of that manjuu we spent all day looking for something that didn't even exist! We were injured and nearly killed by a monster that didn't have what we wanted, and on top of that, we got soaked from the rain!"

Sakura piped up, "But Kurogane-san, it wasn't all Mokona's fault…"

"Yeah you're right." Kurogane turned his crimson eyes towards the Princess. "If you had listened to us and stayed out of the way, the Kid would have been able to help us fight, and then the Mage wouldn't have had the side of his face sliced open." Fai winced as he touched the crusting-over gash.

"I'm honoured you care, Kurorin, but you don't need to blame Saukura-chan for it—she just wanted to help the best she could."

Syaoran stood up. "You can blame me all you want, Kurogane-san, but please don't be angry at Hime…it was my fault-"

"Don't take someone else's blame."

"Don't be so harsh Kurotan!"

"But-"

"EVERYONE! QUIET!" Everyone turned to gaze at Sakura in shock. Sakura turned to Mokona and asked quietly,

"Mokona, what was that thing you told me Yuuko-san was doing again?" Mokona blinked in confusion.

"You mean taking a vacation?" Sakura nodded enthusiastically.

"Everyone…we're taking a vacation from feather-hunting!" Everyone blinked in surprise.

"But Hime…"

"No buts!" Sakura replied, crossing her arms as she held her ground. "Mokona told me that people take vacations because they need to relax and get rid of stress, and obviously that's what all of us need! And if you try and argue otherwise, I'll call Yuuko-san for back-up."

Everyone went quiet except Kurogane who said under his breath, "…she'll charge you."

"So…what are we supposed to do on this vacation?" Syaoran asked.

"Actually, I sort of have an idea…" Sakura replied. "While I was out working, I overheard some people talking about a holiday celebrated on this world—they called it Christmastime. Apparently friends gather together and give each other gifts, and they celebrate around a tree that is brought into the house and decorated with lights and colored orbs. So…" Sakura ran over to the kitchen cupboard and pulled out a bowl with four pieces of paper in it. "Mokona put our names in this. Each person pulls out a name, and that's who they have to get a present for."

Kurogane raised an eyebrow. "What about the manjuu?" Sakura cowered a little.

"…everyone has to get Mokona something."

Kurogane's eyes popped out. "What?"

"Kurotan—calm down; can't you see that Sakura really wants to do this? I think we should give it a try." After a minute, Kurogane sighed.

"Fine." Sakura turned to Syaoran.

"Syaoran-kun?" Syaoran smiled.

"Of course, Hime." Mokona jumped up into the air, cheering.

"Wai wai!" He turned to Sakura. "You pick first Sakura!" Sakura nodded, and closing her eyes, reached her hand into the hat and pulled out a slip of paper, hiding it from sight. Kurogane went next, then Fai, and finally Syaoran. Once everyone had chosen, the group, tired from spending so long out hunting for a feather, dispersed to their rooms to get some much needed sleep.

* * *

Kurogane frowned as he gazed down at the sliver of paper lying by his beside. On it was written one simple word containing a lot of complications: Fai. The warrior rubbed his forehead. _Of all the people…_

The warrior's feelings about the mage were complicated at best. The mage seemed to be everything Kurogane could not stand—cowardly, fake, and above all others, uncaring for his own life. Yet, despite all of his shortcomings, there was something about Fai that kept Kurogane from being able to hate him. In fact, it seemed like whenever he tried to push the man away, he just ended up closer to him than before.

Sighing, he put the sliver in the desk drawer and stretched. _Damn…I have no idea what to get that stupid mage! I guess I'll have to observe him and see what he likes to do…besides irritate me._

Luck was on his side, as Kurogane found out. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, the mage yelled from the kitchen,

"Good morning Kurrorin!" The children have already left for work, so it's just you and me now." _The kids sure got up early…_ Sakura and Syaoran were working part time as waiters at a nearby café to earn the group money and to keep their ears open for any news about the possibility of the Princess's feather making an appearance. Sighing, Kurogane walked into the kitchen and sat down at the counter where his breakfast was waiting for him. Fai was at the sink washing dishes. As the ninja began to eat, Fai spoke up.

"It seems we've run out of food again—I guess it's unavoidable when you have to feed two Doggies." Kurogane glared from where he sat, unable to speak due to all of the food in his mouth. The mage continued on without noticing. "Since the children are out working, I was wondering if you could help me with the shopping." Kurogane blinked.

_Just the excuse I need!_

"Alright." The Mage's eyes showed surprise for a split second, then once again returned to their reflective selves. Once Kurogane finished his food, the two left the house to grocery shopping.

While they walked down the tree-lined street, Kurogane decided to give it a try.

"Oye…Mage."

"What is it Kurotan?" Kurogane tried his best not to sound too suspicious.

"You have any gift ideas? I can't think of any." Fai placed his index finger under his chin.

"Well…I'm sure Sakura-chan would like something small but pretty, like a necklace, or maybe something cute like a stuffed animal. Syaoran-kun on the other hand would want something more practical, like new gloves or a coat."

Kurogane internally sighed. _But what about you, you freaking mage? What the hell do __**you**__ want?_

Fai's face lowered so that his blond bangs covered his eyes. "Me…I'd just want some time in a faraway place where I can forget my troubles…and be with a person who understands…" Fai grinned up at Kurogane—the fakeness of it alarming Kurogane. "…just like that song you hated so much, Kurorin!" Kurogane's eyes widened. _Of course…that time we were in Clover…_ Fail looked away, the fake smile still pasted to his face. "…but that's just a wish. What would you want, Kurokuro?"

…_some peace and quiet…_ "I don't really want anything—as long as everyone's happy, I'll be fine." A look the ninja could not recognize flashed in the Mage's eyes for a split-second before Fai laughed.

"Funny hearing that come from Kuropuu, our local grouch!"

"Shut up you damn mage! Let's just get this shopping over with!"

* * *

Sakura smiled as she placed her tip in the jar labeled 'Sakura-chan' and leaned against the counter as her hour break began. From where she was standing she could Syaoran-kun serving some of the customers. She couldn't stop herself from thinking, _Syaoran-kun looks cute in the waiter outfit, just like in Oto country…_ She could feel her face turning red.

As if seeming to sense her gaze, Syaoran turned around, and smiling, walked over to her.

"Is everything going alright, Hime?" Sakura nodded, smiling.

"This nice couple gave me a generous tip, so I think we should go get the tree tonight."

"Okay, we'll go after work. We're going to need Kurogane-san and Fai-san though." As Syaoran was put back to work, Sakura couldn't help but wonder how Kurogane and Fai were holding out. When she had first met them she had been a bit worried that Kurogane might hurt Fai…not necessarily physically, but as they traveled more, the two seemed to become more and more accepting of each other. Shrugging, Sakura sat down on a stool and continued to watch Syaoran from a distance.

Sakura and Syaoran walked back down the main street, done with work for the day. Both were a bit tired out, so there wasn't much chit-chat. However, as they passed a shop window full of plush toys, Sakura stopped and gravitated to the window display.

"Look Syaoran-kun, isn't it cute?" Syaoran smiled.

The last memory Sakura had regained had been about a fight she had with her older brother Touya. Apparently she had once again snuck out of palace. When she returned her brother was mad and had tried pulling away her cat plush that she had been given by someone in town. The poor stuffed animal was torn in half.

When she had told Syaoran this, he had kept it in the back of his head so that he'd remember to get her one for her next birthday, but when Sakura had announced her vacation plan, Syaoran decided it wouldn't hurt to get it sooner.

Sakura was gazing at the orange and white cat plush in the shop window. _I'll have to drop by tomorrow while Sakura's working…_ Once the girl was done looking, they continued home.

* * *

Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona gazed at their two 'parent-like' figures as they tried to find a tree. Kurogane kept arguing with Fai (who was surprisingly taking the side of reason) and whenever a salesman came by and asked if they needed help, Kurogane quickly scared them away with a look.

"I want a big, thick tree, Mage, and nothing else!"

"Kurotan, we can't get a big one—oh here's a nice one."

"Give me a good reason why we can't? And that one's too skinny, like you."

"We _walked_ here. How do you plan to get a giant tree back to the house? —how about this one?"

"Who do you take me for? I'll carry the tree back—and the pine needles are falling off that one."

"Kurorin, I'm not trying to insult your strength, but really. Carrying that tree that distance will only hurt your back."

A salesman made his way forward slowly.

"Um…Sirs, actually…"

"What?" Kurogane snapped.

"We, uh, have a delivery service…" Both Kurogane and Fai turned to blink at each other, then the Ninja, smiling with the glory of victory, replied,

"Okay; we'll take it." Fai rolled his eyes but didn't argue.

* * *

Fai, Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona ate dinner as Kurogane circled the room, trying to find the perfect spot for the tree. After a few minutes of this, Fai asked,

"So tomorrow we decorate the tree, and the night after we have a feast and give gifts, right?" Sakura nodded.

"Fai-san, have you ever made a turkey before?" Fai shook his head.

"No, but I asked the lady at the grocery store, and she was kind enough to write down instructions for me."

"Mokona loves turkey!" Exclaimed Mokona, jumping up.

"There." Kurogane set the large tree down near the left corner of the room. Everyone clapped.

"That looks great Kuropon!"

"Mokona likes the tree!"

"It looks wonderful Kurogane-san." Kurogane smirked as he examined his work.

Once everyone finished dinner, they all headed off to bed, tired from the day's activities.

* * *

Fai turned the water to the shower off and quickly dried and changed into new clothes. A glance at the clock told him it was five in the morning. Stifling a yawn, Fai left his room and entered the kitchen to make breakfast for the others. Fai was always the first up…mainly because he was prone to nightmares and thus couldn't sleep well. For the most part he didn't mind, but once in a while he'd become somewhat cranky from the lack of sleep.

As he turned the stove on, his thoughts drifted to the conversation he had with Kurogane while walking to the store…what Kurogane wanted as a gift. He sighed and began to stir some ingredients together. _What a terribly sweet and infuriating answer…_ He shrugged. _I guess I'll just have to do my best with the feast tomorrow night—Sakura-chan didn't specify that the gift had to be physical._

* * *

As Syaoran stepped into the shop, a small bell above the door ringed, signaling his entrance. He heard footsteps approaching him.

"Hello, can I help-" The sentence was cut off as the speaker caught sight of Syaoran. Syaoran's eyes widened unintentionally. Standing in front of him was the Prince, Touya…or at least, another look-a-like.

"Touya, is something wrong?" Another familiar face appeared from around the corner.

"Yuki, you deal with him." Touya walked away, once in a while turning around to gaze at Syaoran threateningly. The look-a-like of Yukito laughed.

"I'm sorry, he normally doesn't act this way to customers…you must remind him of someone. So, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Yes—I would like to purchase the cat plush in the window…" Yukito walked over to the window and picked up the stuffed cat.

"This one?"

"Yes." Touya appeared out of nowhere.

"And what would a brat like you want with a stuffed cat?"

"…it's going to be a gift for someone." Touya's glare intensified.

"You don't mean for that girl who was looking at it through the window yesterday?" Syaoran probably should have been shocked that Touya would remember that, but of course he wasn't.

"Uh, yes…"

"It's not for sale."

"Touya!"

"Oh alright…" Touya continued to glare despite giving in. Yukito rolled his eyes and guided Syaoran to the cash register. Once he had paid, Syaoran quickly left, all the while feeling Touya's heated glare following.

Luckily when Syaoran arrived home, Sakura was nowhere to be seen, so he quickly ran up to his room and stashed the present away. Feeling a sense of relief for having the job done, he decided to go down to the kitchen to see what Fai was making for dinner.

As he sat down at the counter, sipping a strange drink called 'cola' and listening to Fai's humming, there were footsteps at the stairs, and after a few seconds Sakura appeared.

"Hi Syaoran-kun!" She greeted as she took a seat beside him after grabbing a cola from the fridge. At that moment his eyes caught sight of her hands, noting the multiple bandages on her fingers.

"Hime, what happened to your hands?" Sakura gazed down at her drink.

"I had an accident at work today—nothing to worry about." Before Syaoran could ask more, the front door opened and Kurogane stumbled in, covered in snow.

"What is up with this freakish weather?" Mokona bounced down the stairs, yelling,

"Kuro-Daddy's home! Kuro-Daddy's home!" Kurogane grabbed Mokona and chucked him at Fai's face.

"Damn Manjuu…" Fai laughed as he caught Mokona.

"Now that Kuro-Daddy's home, the children should start decorating the tree."

"Okay!" Sakura exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

As the group put the decorations on the tree there was cheerfulness in the atmosphere, yet worries were on the surface of everyone's hearts, whether it be about gifts or injured hands.

* * *

"I'm done!" Sakura exclaimed, lying back against her pillow. In her clutched hand was a green scarf. Mokona bounced over to the bed and looked down at the finished product.

"Great job Sakura! I'm sure he'll love it!" Sakura smiled.

"I hope so…"

* * *

"There—done." Kurogane wiped the sweat from his brown and looked at his work. Of course, he wouldn't really see if it was effective until night time. It was the middle of the afternoon—the kids were off at work and Fai was downstairs working on the feast.

Quite suddenly, Kurogane got a vibe…a bad feeling that something was going to happen. But as soon as it came it was gone, and shrugging it off as stress, he retired to his room.

* * *

Fai placed the turkey in the oven…and froze. _Did the lady say it needed to cook for three hours or five?_ He took a quick gaze at the turkey. _It's a big bird…must be five._ Turning on the oven, Fai placed the turkey in and closed the door.

Yawning, he decided to go back to his room to see if he could think of any last minute gift ideas.

About four hours later Fai's sixth sense told him something was terribly wrong. Running down to the kitchen, he realized too late that he had made a mistake. Black smoke was leaking from the oven and inside he could see flames. He quickly through on some oven-mits and opened the oven door to pull the flaming turkey out. As he began carrying it over to the counter, it felt like the ground went uneven beneath him and he ended up tripping. He watched in horror as the burning turkey flew through the air and landed in the tree. The tree caught fire in front of him and the room filled with smoke.

Naturally Fai did the first thing that came to mind once he found himself able to think.

"Kurogane!"

Kurogane came flying down the stairs, and upon seeing the image of hell in their living room, exclaimed as he ran to the kitchen cupboard,

"What the HELL HAPPENED?" Without waiting for an answer, he passed Fai, and flipped on the fire extinguisher he had grabbed.

The fire died from the strange substance, but most of the tree was burned. Just at that moment, Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona came through the front door.

Sakura gasped. "What happened?"

"It…was my fault," said Fai. His bangs were covering his eyes but Kurogane was pretty sure the mage was crying. He turned to the kids.

"Could you give us a few minutes?" Sakura and Syaoran nodded, so Kurogane gently took Fai by the arm and pulled him up the stairs.

* * *

Fai blinked in confusion as Kurogane had them step onto the rooftop.

"Why-"

"I thought after what happened down there, that you might want your gift now." Kurogane walked over to the electric outlet and placed a plug in it.

Suddenly the rooftop was bathed in sparkling lights that were strung along the sides, as well as fake ivy and tinsel. In the center was a picnic blanket with some wine and two glasses. Fai's eyes were wide in disbelief.

"Kurorin, it's beautiful…" He turned his gaze to the ninja.

"I know it's not a far away place…"

"It's perfect." They both sat down on the cloth, and Kurogane poured them some wine. Fai gazed down at his glass, some guilt coming back into his expression.

"You know, I don't have a gift for you…"

"Don't worry about it—I told you I didn't want anything." Fai took a gulp of wine and then rested his head against the warrior's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"…thank you." Kurogane, looking down at the mage, couldn't hold back the gentle smile that appeared on his face, so he turned the other way, placing his arm around Fai's frail body.

"No problem."

* * *

Sakura, Syaoran, and Mokona sat down on the couch, wondering what they should do. Sakura sighed. "So what should we do about dinner?" Mokona bounced up onto her head.

"Whenever Yuuko burned dinner, she ordered pizza!" Syaoran blinked.

"How do we order this pizza?"

"Just leave it to Mokona!" With that, the creature bounced off into the kitchen intent on finding something called a 'yellowbook'.

Syaoran turned to the princess. "So since Kurogane-san and Fai-san are busy, shall I give you your gift, Hime?"

"Sure—hold on!" Sakura bounced up and ran up the stairs. After a minute she returned with a gift wrapped in green. "It's for you Syaoran-kun." The exchanged, and Sakura opened hers first.

"Ahh, it's so cute!" Sakura hugged the stuffed cat tightly. "Thanks so much Syaoran-kun!"

Syaoran smiled. "I'm glad you like it, Hime." Syaoran opened his gift and turned to gaze at Sakura. "Hime, did you make this yourself?" Sakura nodded, blushing.

"I'm sorry if it's poor quality…it was my first time sewing…"

"It looks wonderful." Syaoran said as he put the scarf on, smiling gently. "Thank you."

There was a knock at the door.

Syaoran stood up and turned to Sakura. "Stay back Hime!" Sakura nodded, looking startled. Syaoran stood in front of her, arms spread wide as he waited for the door to be kicked in. There was another knock.

"Coming!" yelled Mokona. Mokona bounced off the kitchen counter onto Syaoran's head.

"Get the door Syaoran." Hesitantly Syaoran opened the door. A man was standing there, holding a square, flat box.

"A large cheese and pepperoni pizza for Syaoran-kun?" Syaoran blinked in surprise.

"Uh…what?" The man gave him a weird look.

"Are you Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes…"

"Then this is your pizza." _Oh…Mokona must have ordered the pizza under my name…_

"Uh, yes…thanks." Syaoran took hold of the pizza and after putting it down on the counter, paid the delivery boy and shut the door.

* * *

The mood of the room was pleasant as they all ate the strange, flat food Mokona called 'pizza'. Sakura and Syaoran chatted to each other happily while Kurogane and Fai exchanged remarks about the bizaare food with Mokona adding comments occasionally. Yet, everything that had gone wrong had been replaced by something that went right, and everyone was at peace,

…until…

"Hey…where's _Mokona's gifts?"_


End file.
